Khardung-la pass and the Nubra Valley

The Khardung-la pass, about an hour north or Leh, is 18,300 feet and claims to be the highest motorable pass in the world. The altitude was not as much a problem as the twisty, rugged road - marginally maintained, gravel at the top, with no guardrails and thousand-foot drops. The Nubra valley, on the far side, is remote and desolate.